Commuters look for cheaper ways to go

Tracy Boulian/The Plain DealerNeil Kaufman, left, president of B&K Bicycle Co. in South Euclid, shows Shaker Heights resident David Lamb some of the bicycles that he recommends for commuters. Lamb rides his bike 8 miles to work about three days a week.

As gasoline prices rise, so do opportunities for many businesses. Scooter dealers, car mechanics and others expect to make money by helping you spend less to get around.

Scooters

In April 2007, Phil Waters sold 20 scooters at his store, Pride of Cleveland Scooters. This year, he sold 65 in April, and he expects May sales to top that. The appeal: inexpensive vehicles that can get 110 miles per gallon.

"We're over 40 already this month. Our distributors are having trouble keeping up with us," Waters said last week.

His most popular models cost about $2,700, can go 65 mph and get 90 miles per gallon. Smaller models that top out at 35 mph can get 110 miles per gallon. Waters said those are less popular because drivers can't take them on the interstate.

A longtime Scooter enthusiast, Waters said he and his friends drive their scooters year round, in rain, snow and ice.

In many parts of the world, people use scooters as every day commuter vehicles, saving cars for longer trips or big shopping excursions, Waters said.

"What has just been another tool for Europeans and Asians for the past 40 years is new to us," Waters said.

Bicycles

Bike shop owners say they haven't seen a huge influx of customers. Instead, customers who had used bikes for exercise are buying accessories such as baskets and racks.

Neil Kaufman, president of B&K Bicycle Co. in South Euclid, said his best customers are looking to spend a lot more time in the saddle this year.

"I think total demand is equal to last year, but the emphasis is different," Kaufman said. "Our average sale is up because people are buying better equipment that they can rely on for daily use."

Even if gasoline hits $5 per gallon, Kaufman said he doesn't expect bicycling to replace driving for people who don't already love biking.

That said, high gas prices are driving many customers to shift from bicycling as a hobby to using muscle power for basic transportation, he said.

"Our suppliers are talking about possible shortages this summer," he said.

Car care

Basic automotive maintenance can save gas, but local stores haven't seen big increases in sales.

"We don't have people going out for their Sunday drives, so they're not putting the miles on their cars as fast," said Joe Mendeluk, service manager of Conrad's Tire Express & Total Car Care in downtown Cleveland. That means fewer oil changes and fewer tire replacements.

On the other hand, a weak economy means drivers are holding onto older vehicles longer. So customers spend more to keep older models running.

"What we've lost in one, we've picked up in the other," he said.

Tom Morley, president of Lube Stop, said many consumers are willing to spend more for fuel-saving services such as synthetic motor oil changes.

Synthetic motor oils are thinner than traditional motor oil, so they provide less resistance for gears while offering the same protection from wear, said Tom Olszewski, technical advisor for lubricants for ExxonMobil.

Car sales
High gas prices and a slow economy mean 2008 probably will be the worst auto sales year in more than a decade. But some brands and models are doing well.

Dealers say hybrid sales are up dramatically. Once considered a niche vehicle, Toyota's Prius hybrid was the ninth best selling car in the United States during the first four months of the year.

General Motors is running its Lordstown plant on overtime to produce more fuel-efficient Chevrolet Cobalts and Pontiac G5s, and Ford has added production to the plants that make the Focus small car and Escape small sport utility vehicle.

At the same time, automakers have cut shifts and reduced production at plants that make trucks and sport utility vehicles.

"Car sales seem to be better and better as we go through these rising gas prices" while truck and sport utility vehicles fall, said Gary Adams, president of the dealers association.

Overall sales were up slightly in April, but the industry is down slightly for the year in Northeast Ohio.

Mass transit

Some Regional Transit Authority riders say they notice buses and trains are more crowded these days. But others said gas may have to hit $5 per gallon before significant numbers of drivers opt for mass transit.

RTA ridership is down about 2.4 percent so far this year, but it's hard to find a link with fuel prices.

RTA blames the decline on March, when riders avoided downtown because of huge snowstorms. That month ridership was down 14 percent. Ticket sales rebounded in April, climbing about 4 percent.

Francine Parker, a Cleveland resident who has commuted on RTA trains and buses for years, said rush hour has always been busy, but she sees more people riding in off-peak hours.

"On weekends, there are more people than ever," Parker said. "During work hours, it's standing room only on the trains, but that's nothing new."

Financial adviser Kameron Chones said he bought a car recently but still takes the RTA for his daily commutes.

"It's cheap, you don't have to worry about traffic jams and rising gas prices," Chones said.

Other riders said they haven't noticed much of a change. Rush hour buses were busy last year, and they're still busy.

"I started riding the bus in 2006," said Cleveland resident Lewis West. "It seems about the same to me."

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